I am 44,676,000 minutes of age. Many were spent
in WAITING. The first 7,458,400 were spent WAITING for one of the most
important dates in my life. Would I ever reach sixteen? After that, the only
age I was concerned about was whether I would attain 44,676,000. But, I made
it!

WAITING is kinda like worrying; there's not a
thing you can do about it.

When I was a little fellow, I spent useless
minutes WAITING. The old fellow who led the prayer. He petitioned the Lord for
everything while I squirmed, scratched, worried and WAITED for that cheer-
bringing word -- AMEN!

Accompanying that, there was a bellowing behemoth
who had no stopping place. He had the people in burning torment and now he had
to extricate them. They didn't want to be extricated. So I WAITED for him to
give up or give out. It was over.

The old man who prayed and the fire-eating parson
were invited for dinner. I knew what was in store: the white meat would be gone
and the taters would be cold while I WAITED.

WAITING for school to end; WAITING to see if I
failed; WAITING for the little brunette to come along; fearfully WAITING after
school to see if the bully would show up.

As I went through life, WAITING played a major
role. I WAITED at the grocery check-out; WAITED for my prescription to be
filled; WAITED at the doctor's office. Where? The WAITING room, of course. I
WAITED in the examining room; I WAITED, fearfully, for the news of some dread
disease. I WAITED in the movie ticket line. At the bank -- the sign said,
"WAIT for the next available teller."

The computer age began so I WAITED while it
booted up. I WAITED for the menu. I WAITED for the files to show. An
exasperating message appeared at the bottom of the screen. It said "please
WAIT."

WAITING time is often filled with anger,
resentment and stress.

I WAITED at the gasoline pump while someone
pondered the automatic pumping instructions. I WAITED for the red lights to
turn so I could WAIT to get on the freeway. Now the stress, the anger and
resentment would be dispelled. But I WAITED on the freeway for a work crew to
move a piece of equipment; I WAITED for a slow-moving line of cars to view a
wreck scene. The car stalled. I WAITED for a good Samaritan. Finally, some good
soul used his cellular and I WAITED for the tow to come. I WAITED for a
diagnosis of the trouble and then I WAITED for someone to take me home where I
could WAIT in comfort for my car to be repaired.

I have WAITED in suspense for a child to be born
and then I have spent many anxious, stomach- wrenching minutes, WAITING for
that child, who had missed curfew, to come home. So I WAITED, helplessly,
because I could do nothing more than WAIT and worry.

Along the road to forty-four million, six hundred
and seventy-six thousand, I learned something about WAITING -- be patient.
WAITING minutes are inevitable; there's nothing we can do to change it.
Remember the "Prayer of Serenity." "Lord, give me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change." These WAITING times are
unchangeable.

Some of WAITING time can be used profitably. I
wrote a poem while WAITING for a doctor. I outlined an article while I WAITED
for sleep to come. I solved a problem while I WAITED for someone who missed an
appointment. I stretched and relaxed while I WAITED for the light to change.

Some WAITING is needed. I have WAITED beside the
sick bed of a loved one just as a loved one has WAITED on me. I have patiently
WAITED, watched and witnessed the drawing of a last breath of at least three
that were dear to me. The hardest of all, the end of a life that had hardly
begun, my grandson. A WAITING like that will cause a person to reach a maturity
that is sadly needed by all but experienced by few. A young friend, who WAITED
and watched while his grandfather died, said, "Today, I feel like I became
a man."

And now, at forty-four million, six hundred and
seventy-six thousand, WAITING time is almost over. WAITING for time, which is
made up of minutes, hours, days and years, to run its course and for my
entrance into that which is called eternity. Some of my WAITING time has been
well spent, some wasted. But now, each minute I WAIT, just gets me a little
closer home.